Opinion

Installer is king, says Worcester, Bosch

Neil Schofield, Worcester, Bosch Group
Neil Schofield, Worcester, Bosch Group
Neil Schofield, Worcester, Bosch, is calling on the government to be more mindful of the integral part installers will play in the success, or indeed failure, of its energy efficiency policies.

Schofield, the manufacturer’s head of external and governmental affairs, argues that a lack of political consensus on how to reduce energy bills, and a perception within industry that policy is being dictated by the ‘big six’ suppliers, could leave those delivering schemes such as Green Deal sidelined, when they are in a position to improve its outcome.

“With the Green Deal clearly at a critical stage, it is up to us to help the government deliver a system that works. At present, there are strong concerns that the Green Deal favours the big six energy suppliers, but we must change this approach and force the government to remember the installer is king.

“By changing the mindset of policy-makers, we can turn the Green Deal on its head, in order to position the installers as a ‘one stop shop’ for all energy efficiency enhancements.”

He added: “We need to fix the bugs in the Green Deal on the government’s behalf and push for action on the RHI (a clear launch date). We also need an assurance that the prime minister’s pledge to roll back green taxes is not code to for the scaling back of energy efficiency policies. In the meantime, it is imperative that we continue to give installers a voice.”